Excursions

We suggest a little town called Ponta do Ouro just North of the border with Kwazulu-Natal in Maputaland. It has a real Mozambique vibe and you'll get a good idea what Moz is all about. It's a small place.

We can do it two ways:

Leave Harloo camp at 7am - It takes about 2 to 3 hours to get there. So we leave early morning and come back to camp in one day. Approx 130 miles one way.

The second way to do it is to sleep over one or two nights. Facilities are great and accommodation is right on the beach pending availability.

• We drive over the impressive Jozini Lake dam wall and mountain pass which is very scenic and the 3rd biggest lake in South Africa, then drive through rural Maputaland which is beautiful and get a good idea of rural Africa, the roads, villages, cattle and the people.

• We pass customs into Mozambique through a true rural African border post (Passports needed)

• We then travel on a real 4x4 sand track for 10 miles till we reach Ponta.

• When we arrive at Ponta do Ouro (which means "the golden point" in Portugese) we can take a long walk on the beach, perhaps take a swim in the warm Indian Ocean - even in winter, tan a little, do a bit of snorkelling in the bay, have a seafood lunch and leave by approx 4pm.

• There are also many handmade curios, Moz T shirts and beach clothes etc to buy for real cheap.

• The highlight is usually to have a R&R (rum and raspberry drink) at Fernando’s Bar. It’s a big tradition in Ponta and usually just what you need to get into a really good mood!

• A “swimming with the dolphins” snorkeling offshore trip can be done.

• Offshore game fishing can also be done by charter. Usually approx $650 per boat for about 5 hours.

• There are also very good Scuba facilities and spectacular reefs.

• ​If we do Kruger Park it is going to work out at APPROX $450 per couple per day.

• It's touristy and we need to book ASAP as it's always full like Yellowstone.

• A trip to Kruger Park via Swaziland is very nice. It is probably one of the most impressive game parks in the world and is really huge.

• The big 5 is seen here more often than not, and is always a highlight when visiting South Africa and Kruger Park.

• I try to visit it at least once a year with my family as there is always something "new" to see.

• It's 3 to 4 hours away but on the way there we drive through a little independent Kingdom called Swaziland. See a bit of Africa and visit the Swazi Glass factory as well as Swazi Hand made candles if we want to.

• When doing Kruger, we usually sleep at least 2 nights "out" in order to make the trip worth it. (approx 300 miles one way)

($150 per person)

You will get the opportunity to visit a Kingdom and get another stamp in your passport as proof of visiting another country. The glass factory is using recycled glass to make beautiful glass products that you will be able to look at or buy. This factory supply a lot of jobs for the local Swazi people. $150/person. About 2 hours’ drive

Zulu Dancing, Curios and Zulu Culture Dumazulu and wild “cats” centre (cheetah, cerval etc):

The place is called "Dumazulu" which entails an ethnic zulu village where they explain all about how the Zulu’s lived, their traditions and their culture. The program starts at 11am and ends with a drumming and rhythmic zulu dancing show that makes your hair stand upright! There is also a nice curio shop. 
 Pending the time, we then head for a little village on the Indian ocean called St Lucia for lunch. You can then get the opportunity to dip your toes in the Indian Ocean or even take a swim! There are nice shops to spend some time in.

We then head back to a “Emdoneni rehabilitation wild cat project” right next to the Zulu Village for a tour on wild cats. They teach you about the different wild cat’s habits, characteristics etc eg Cheetah, Cerval, Caracal etc. You experience how they get fed and there is even a chance that you may interact with some of the cats and take pictures with them. Especially the Cheetah! 
 This is a very enjoyable outing.

We leave camp at around 830 am, have lunch there and come back to camp at around 6 pm. 
 About 1 hour or so to drive there, and St Lucia another 30 minutes on. Distance approx 80 miles one way, plus some 40 miles to St Lucia. Day trip. Nice curios are available at both places.

Phinda big 5 luxury reserve (instead of Kruger) 


If you do the Phinda big 5 luxury 5 star reserve which is 1 hour from Harloo, it will be a personal luxury experience with a 99% chance of seeing the big 5. Most tourists visiting Africa with limited time, visit these luxury reserves in order to see the Big 5 in a short amount of time. It will cost approx $400 to $700 ppp night all incl. It's rather expensive. If you make this choice I will work hard to get a better rate as I have friends there. I think it's worth the experience. 2 nights will be enough. You can even stay only one night.

Much less travelling than Kruger and it's exclusive. You will be dropped off by us, they will take care of you so you do it by yourself. Phinda is also on the way to Mozambique, so it can be combined. We pick you up at Phinda after your visit and drive to Moz from there. Distance approx 70 miles there, but we need to fetch you too.

Mfolozi, Hluhluwe or Ithala Game Parks

These are Game Parks in our area similar to your National Parks. They are nice, and sometimes if you are lucky good game can be spotted especially elephant, rhino and buff. Cats are a bit scarce. They are not as big as Kruger and not as exclusive as Phinda. Leave Harloo at 6 am, then drive there through Zululand which is nice and get a good idea of Africa. When there basically do a game drive in the area, have lunch and leave by approx 5 pm. Very nice outing. 1½ hour drive from Harloo. We leave early morning and come back to camp. There are also curios or African hand made stuff to buy along the way. Distance approx 100 miles one way. This trip can be combined with a Zulu Dance day trip as it's on the way.

• Our other major concession lies close to this area.

• Some of the major battlefields between the British and "Boers" which were fought during the Anglo Boer War as well as between the Zulu's and Boers can be seen and visited.

• The Drakensberg Mountains are our "Rockies" in South Africa. 

• It is very scenic, popular to visit and various resorts are in the area like Giants Castle, Golden Gate Park etc.

• Basically we can go to our concession, use it as base to hunt and drive out from there to visit these sights. 

• The only cost would be extra miles travelled.

Come and spoil yourself at a local health SPA with a massage of your choice or something else. Please ask for prices. 20 min drive

• These trips excludes transport which is added per mile as well as 15% VAT on activities. We charge for fuel to cover costs and it is usually in the region of 60c to 80c US per mile pending the exchange rates (per vehicle).

• Most of these trips are cheaper when the group is bigger, as you can then share transport costs.

• Extra expenses for us is the guide to take you there. If your hunting guide takes you, there are no extra costs. If I have to send an extra guide, his rate is $100 per day.

• Available dates can sometimes be an issue e.g. Kruger.

• Miles can differ from what is quoted above.

• Trips can be tailor made to suit you.

• Rates can change a bit, but will be confirmed beforehand. Usually due to exchange rates.

• Overnight rates for $150/person includes food but excludes alcohol, snacks and extras along the way.

• Please ask your guide if you need more information.